I’m 25 years old living in Providence, RI. When I started this blog, I had been working as an AmeriCorps*VISTA in Massachusetts, which I did for two years. As part of my benefits, I received $164 a month in food stamps and it was plenty enough for me to be big pimpin in the kitchen.

I’m a growing foodie, and I started this blog to share how I can still make interesting and healthy food and still work in luxuries like fancy cheese. I share my menus and what I spend my food stamps on, as well as recipes and other food-worthy topics.

Food security is a problem for many poor people, and I don’t want to undermine that very real problem. I do want to show, however, that a person or couple with steady but modest income and without children or health problems can eat well on a realistic budget of $200 a month or less.

Even though I don’t make a lot of money, I do love going out to eat and I do that often. VISTA workers are paid on the poverty line in the area where they live. I went from being a VISTA to being a graduate student, where my “income” is actually loans. Even though my income is low I don’t consider myself to be poor or in poverty. This blog is not about living frugally or being poor necessarily, it’s just another perspective on budgeting.

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That was before. As a graduate student, my schedule is erratic and its harder to plan meals and shopping. Not that being a grad student is sooo hard, I just find the scheduling annoying. I haven’t been keeping track of my food budget as well.